It is known to use snow guards on roof structures, particularity in northern climates, where the weather conditions are such that snow and/or ice accumulates on roofs. Snow guards are used, most particularly when the roofs are steeply sloped, to provide protrusions or outwardly extending platforms that protrude outwardly and upwardly, generally perpendicular to the slope of the roof, to engage snow or ice that may accumulate on the roof, to keep sheets of snow or ice from sliding down the roof, off the roof, possibly causing damage to people, shrubs, etc.
Typically, snow guards have, in addition to the protrusion or platform, a base that is disposed between underlying and overlying shingles on the roof. It is generally known that in colder climate conditions, snow guards are installed as the roof is built up, being placed over an underlying shingle or shingles in a course, prior to installing the next-overlying shingle in its overlying course.
Most particularly, it is known that snow guards are desirable on steeply sloped roofs wherein the shingles on the roof are of natural slate or natural tile, being made of materials that are very rigid, often having outer weather-engaging surfaces that can be smooth, allowing snow or ice that accumulates on the outer surfaces of such shingles or tiles to slide downwardly along the highly sloped surface of the roof, most particularly as the snow or ice begins to thaw, with the protrusions or platforms of the snow guards engaging the snow or ice and breaking up large sheets of the same into smaller, generally harmless pieces of snow or ice not readily capable of causing damage to personnel, plants, bushes, etc.
Where a roof is made up of naturally occurring materials, such as slate, shake or tile, it is known to install snow guards as the roof is being laid up, on top of courses of such roof materials that have already been applied, prior to applying an overlying course of such rigid slate, shake, or tile shingles thereover. However, in the case of an already-installed roof of rigid natural slate, shake, or tile shingles, if snow guards are later desired to be installed, it can become necessary to remove some shingles of slate, shake, or tile construction so that the same can be lifted upwardly an amount to install snow guards therebeneath, between shingles in two underlying-overlying courses. Where such slate, shake, or tile shingles of natural materials are rigid, they can break as they are being lifted upwardly. In the absence of breaking it becomes necessary to remove the nails or fasteners for such shingles an amount sufficient to raise such shingles upwardly to enable placement of a snow guard therebeneath, and then to re-fasten such rigid naturally occurring shingles back down to the roof.